Every athlete’s worst nightmare is not whether they’ll miss out on a trophy or whether they could have signed a more lucrative deal or played for another team. There is one thing they all dread more than anything and that’s an injury that could seriously affect their career. While every athlete experiences at least one injury during their career, some of those affecting some of the world’s greatest athletes could have completely changed the course of sports history. Here are just four of the most famous injuries that could have had major impacts.
Tom Brady
Probably the greatest quarterback ever, in the first game of the 2008 season Tom Brady was knocked down by Kansas City Chiefs’ safety Bernard Pollard. Brady was out for the rest of the season and the Patriots, logically, failed to qualify for the post-season, which is something that usually doesn’t happen with Tom Brady in the team. However, working hard during the rehab period paid off and Brady was ready for the next season. Bill Belichick was relieved and so were millions of Patriots’ fans. Brady’s knee injury was extremely serious and if the right treatments hadn’t been prescribed or if he hadn’t done his absolute best to recover, the history of American football would have been quite different.
Tony Parker
There have been many bizarre, yet serious injuries in the world of sports, but few had such a potentially devastating effect as the one that affected Tony Parker from the San Antonio Spurs. Unlike most injuries to basketball players, this one happened outside the court, in a nightclub in New York and Parker was merely an innocent bystander. A fight between Drake and Chris Brown broke out. Glass bottles were flying all across the club, causing shattered glass and multiple injuries. Parker’s eye was hit by a shattered glass and his cornea was seriously damaged. He could have easily lost his eye and finished his career prematurely. Luckily, he managed to recover quickly and played most games for the Spurs the following season.
Neymar
One of the most talented football players ever, who was also in the centre of the most expensive transfer ever when he joined PSG from Barcelona, Neymar is still considered one of the greatest footballers in the world. However, a most tragic injury happened at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, in front of his home crowd. A potentially devastating spinal injury ruled him out of the semi-final clash against Germany, which ended in the most humiliating defeat for the home side. Instead of remaining paralysed, which would have happened had the blow been a few inches lower, Neymar recovered and taken his place in the starting line-up for both Brazil and Barcelona, which he played for at the time. Such injuries are very difficult to cope with and require a lot of care and attention to details such as the clothes and footwear you need while recovering. Whatever athletes wear in such situations needs to be comfortable and assist their recovery, from quality sweatpants to comfortable men’s Birkenstocks.
Drew Brees
It’s not uncommon that one or two franchises in NFL get affected by a player’s injury, but Drew Brees’ shoulder injury in 2005 actually affected three of them. In the final game of the 2005 regular season, Brees went down while playing for the San Diego Chargers, who were forced to rely on a third-year signal-caller Philip Rivers to start the 2006 season. The injury rendered Brees disposable and he soon became a free agent. That was an opportunity for the Miami Dolphins, who were desperate to find a starting quarterback. They entered a bidding war with the New Orleans Saints and eventually pulled back and signed Daunte Culpepper by dealing a second-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for him. What a mistake they made! Brees was awarded an extremely lucrative deal by the Saints and he paid their trust back in the best possible way by leading them to the Super Bowl title in 2010. What would have happened if he hadn’t been injured? Would have remained in San Diego? What would the history of the Dolphins look like if they’d signed this amazing quarterback? Would the Saints have won the title without Drew? We can now only speculate, but we know one thing for sure: Brees’ torn labrum changed the landscape for three NFL teams back in 2005.
Most athletes keep almost all their eggs in one basket and that is their ability to play well and make a living out of it. This is a very risky approach, since one injury can deal a devastating blow to all the years of hard work and such injuries don’t affect just the injured athlete, but even the history of a particular sport.
Author Bio:
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in topics related to home improvement, DIY and interior design. In her free time she enjoys reading and preparing healthy meals for her family.
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